Living in rewind

Yes. You are correct. This is a “let’s look back with great nostalgia at the semester that was” kind of column. \nBut after spending the better part of the last five months bringing you everything IU sports, we at the Indiana Daily Student sports desk feel we are more than qualified to write just such a piece. \nIt’s been a crazy semester, but I’ll bet it’s not that different from any other. \nIU has had All-Big Ten selections in too many sports for me to count, and has sent teams to competition beyond Big Ten play in four different sports. \nThe football team, playing in memory of their beloved head coach Terry Hoeppner, qualified for a bowl game for the first time since I was in first grade. \nThe Hoosiers put a receiver and a defensive end – James Hardy and Greg Middleton – on the All-Big Ten team picked by the coaches, and added a cornerback and a kicker – Tracy Porter and now-legendary Austin Starr – on the media team. In addition, the Hoosiers had a quarterback who was an All-Big Ten second team selection in Kellen Lewis. In comparison, Purdue only had three players selected by the coaches and two by the media – and all of them were second-teamers. \nIt goes without saying that the top moment of the year came when that oblong brown ball fluttered over the upright of the south goalposts and the Hoosier nation flooded onto the field to celebrate a win at the Bucket game. Who didn’t rush the field that night? I know I did. \nIU also got two soccer teams into their respective NCAA tournaments for the first time since 1998. The men earned a No. 4 seed before falling on penalty kicks to Bradley. \nDespite not advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers notched another stellar season during which they defeated then No. 1-ranked UCLA and captured their 12th Big Ten regular season title. \nBut it was the women, led by indefatigable coach Mick Lyon and the prolific Kristin Arnold, who advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, defeating along the way a Purdue team that had flattened them 7-0 during the regular season.\nFinally, the men’s cross country team made it to nationals this year, hosted in nearby Terre Haute. The team got there on the back of a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten Tournament. \nThe men’s cross country team ended up finishing 28th overall at the competition, but the future is bright. The team’s top two runners toward the end of the year were sophomore Jordan Kyle and freshman Cole Hardacre, and the team will not graduate a single runner from their nationals team. \nThere is, of course, a world outside of IU athletics, (erroneous, I know). \nIt’s been a year of change – we’ve seen more No. 1s in college football this year than we did shots of Brady Quinn’s sister two years ago in the Fiesta Bowl. \nBut some things stay the same – the Yankees again disappeared in the playoffs. Maybe Steinbrenner’s money is no good after September. \nThere has been tragedy, too. Sean Taylor now stands at the top of a far-too-long list of young black athletes who have died from gunshot wounds. \nJemele Hill of espn.com and others have reported that the leading cause of death among black men ages 15-24 is homicide, and that is a statistic that should open all of our eyes. \nThis column could go on, but I’ve passed my word limit. In a few days, I’ll pass my chair as sports editor here at the IDS. It’s been stressful and it’s been rewarding, but most of all it’s been fun. My guys Matt Dollinger and Lee Hurwitz will do you just fine next semester, so stick with them. Until then, have a good break, and we’ll see you in the new year.